Wear Properties of Ilmenite sillimanite Reinforced Hyper Eutectic Al Si Alloy Matrix Composites

Abstract

The prime objective of the present work is to develop light weight, low cost Aluminium metal matrix composite (AMCs) for break rotor application exhibiting good wear property. AMCs were fabricated by using automobile grade LM30 Al-Si alloy as a matrix and ilmenite and sillimanite as reinforcement. The effect of various sizes and concentrations of reinforced particles on the microstructural and wear properties of LM30 alloy based composites was investigated. The effect of solid lubricants (graphite and tin) on the microstructural and wear properties of the developed composites was also studied. The work done in present investigation is divided into eight chapters which are as follows: Chapter 1: This chapter presents an introductory discussion about tribology and its applications. It also describes various postulates of tribology, such as wear, friction, and lubrication. The need to develop materials to minimize tribological energy losses has also been discussed. The different types of composites and reinforcements along with their advantages, have been discussed. At the end, the superior properties of ceramic particles reinforced AMCs have been described. Chapter 2: This chapter presents available literature pertaining to the development of particle reinforced hypereutectic Al-Si alloy composites. The current work is based on the stir casting process. Thus, the main focus of this chapter is to cover the literature on the processing of AMCs using stir casting process and study their physical properties especially wear resistance. In the last of this, the gaps in literature is presented. Based on the literature gap the objectives of the current work has been finalized and presented. Chapter 3: This chapter describes the procedure followed for fabrication, testing, and characterization of the base alloy and the developed composites.